Operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunications network

Abstract

A method for operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunications network includes: in a first step, a program or configuration information is provided to or received by an orchestrator node or functionality; in a second step, subsequent to the first step, at least one piece of program or control information is provided or transmitted to at least one programmable network node; and in a third step, subsequent to the second step, the at least one piece of program or control information is activated to be executed by the at least one programmable network node.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, the broadband access network comprising and/or being connected to a plurality of network nodes, wherein the plurality of network nodes comprise at least one programmable network node and at least one configurable network node, wherein the at least one configurable network node is configurable via policies, wherein the broadband access network or a part thereof provides on or at the at least one programmable network node a customer-specific or subscriber-specific programmability, wherein the broadband access network or the part thereof comprises an orchestrator node or functionality and a software defined network or policy node or functionality, wherein the method comprises:
 in a first step, program or configuration information is provided to or received by the orchestrator node or functionality; 
 in a second step, subsequent to the first step, the orchestrator node or functionality uses the program or configuration information such that at least one piece of program or control information is provided or transmitted to the at least one programmable network node, wherein the at least one piece of program or control information corresponds to or comprises a part of a service chain for the IP traffic of a customer or subscriber of the broadband access network and/or of the telecommunications network; 
 in a third step, subsequent to the second step, the at least one piece of program or control information is activated to be executed by the at least one programmable network node; and 
 in a fourth step, subsequent to the first step, the at least one configurable network node receives at least one piece of policy information from the software defined network or policy node or functionality, wherein the at least one piece of policy information matches or is adapted to the at least one piece of program or control information such that, via both the at least one piece of program or control information and the at least one piece of policy information, the service chain for the IP traffic of the customer or subscriber is able to be created in a customer-specific or subscriber-specific way. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the service chain is orchestrated by the orchestrator node or functionality; and 
 wherein activity or inactivity or execution or implementation of the piece of program or control information corresponds to a state out of one or a plurality of the following: loaded, configured, activated, paused, terminated, deleted, or changed. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a service chain comprises or is implemented by, in sequence, a first piece of configuration or policy information, the at least one piece of program or control information, and a second piece of configuration or policy information. 
 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the orchestrator node or functionality comprises or is connected to at least one program interface, wherein via the at least one program interface the at least one piece of program or control information is provided or transmitted to the at least one programmable network node;
 wherein the orchestrator node or functionality provides a dynamic interface to receive the program or configuration information from the customer or subscriber; and 
 wherein a syntax check and/or a security check and/or a consistency check is performed—by the orchestrator node or functionality and/or by the at least one program interface, and against predefined syntax and/or security and/or consistency rules—and/or meta information processed. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one piece of program or control information realizes or is part of the service chain for the IP traffic of a customer or subscriber, the IP traffic comprising at least one stream of data packets; and
 wherein the at least one piece of program or control information is related to at least one out of the following:
 a filter functionality for filtering data packets and/or filtering the content of data packets, 
 a classifier functionality for classifying data packets, or 
 a labelling functionality for labeling data packets. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one programmable network node corresponds to or comprises:
 at least one customer premises equipment of or associated to or assigned to the customer or subscriber; 
 at least one access node as part of the broadband access network, the at least one access node handling communication sessions for or associated to the customer or subscriber; 
 at least one service edge network node as part of the broadband access network, the at least one service edge network node handling communication sessions for or associated to the customer or subscriber; or 
 at least one leaf network node as part of the broadband access network. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the broadband access network comprises a central office point of delivery with a plurality of service edge network nodes, each one of the service edge network nodes realizes at least one service edge instance or functionality, terminating a customer communication link towards a customer premises equipment or an access node. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, to implement the service chain, the programmable network node is programmed to filter packets, classify packets, add labels, and/or filter content, and the configurable network node is configured to run a quality-of-service (QoS) policy. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the central office point of delivery comprises a switching fabric, the switching fabric comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes, wherein the leaf network nodes correspond to or host or co-host the service edge network nodes. 
     
     
       10. A system, comprising:
 a broadband access network of a telecommunications network; and 
 a plurality of network nodes; 
 wherein the broadband access network comprises and/or is connected to the plurality of network nodes; 
 wherein the plurality of network nodes comprise at least one programmable network node and at least one configurable network node, wherein the at least one configurable network node is configurable via policies; 
 wherein the broadband access network or a part thereof provides on or at the at least one programmable network node a customer-specific or subscriber-specific programmability; 
 wherein the broadband access network or the part thereof comprises an orchestrator node or functionality and a software defined network or policy node or functionality; 
 wherein the orchestrator node or functionality is configured to receive a-program or configuration information; 
 wherein the orchestrator node or functionality is configured to use the program or configuration information such that at least one piece of program or control information is provided or transmitted to the at least one programmable network node, wherein the at least one piece of program or control information corresponds to or comprises a part of a service chain for the IP traffic of a customer or subscriber of the broadband access network and/or of the telecommunications network; 
 wherein the at least one programmable network node is configured to execute the at least one piece of program or control information, and 
 wherein the at least one configurable network node is configured to receive at least one piece of policy information from the software defined network or policy node or functionality, wherein the at least one piece of policy information matches or is adapted to the at least one piece of program or control information such that, via both the at least one piece of program or control information and the at least one piece of policy information, the service chain for the IP traffic of the customer or subscriber is able to be created in a customer-specific or subscriber-specific way. 
 
     
     
       11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, the broadband access network comprising and/or being connected to a plurality of network nodes, wherein the plurality of network nodes comprise at least one programmable network node and at least one configurable network node, wherein the at least one configurable network node is configurable via policies, wherein the broadband access network or a part thereof provides on or at the at least one programmable network node a customer-specific or subscriber-specific programmability, wherein the broadband access network or the part thereof comprises an orchestrator node or functionality and a software defined network or policy node or functionality, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, facilitate:
 in a first step, program or configuration information is provided to or received by the orchestrator node or functionality; 
 in a second step, subsequent to the first step, the orchestrator node or functionality uses the program or configuration information such that at least one piece of program or control information is provided or transmitted to the at least one programmable network node, wherein the at least one piece of program or control information corresponds to or comprises a part of a service chain for the IP traffic of a customer or subscriber of the broadband access network and/or of the telecommunications network; 
 in a third step, subsequent to the second step, the at least one piece of program or control information is activated to be executed by the at least one programmable network node, and 
 in a fourth step, subsequent to the first step, the at least one configurable network node receives at least one piece of policy information from the software defined network or policy node or functionality, wherein the at least one piece of policy information matches or is adapted to the at least one piece of program or control information such that, via both the at least one piece of program or control information and the at least one piece of policy information, the service chain for the IP traffic of the customer or subscriber is able to be created in a customer-specific or subscriber-specific way.